The GROGs attending the October Lunch welcomed a breath of fresh air in the shape of guest speaker, Rob Robertson, rugby correspondent of the Scottish Daily Mail. Any speaker starting off by saying that he was really passionate about rugby and was concerned about the way club rugby in Scotland is going will win the hearts of the GROGS there and then … and that’s exactly what Rob did! His passion for the game was clear, as was the fact that he is not just a sports journalist but a journalist in the wider sense, an author in his own right, a co-author and a ‘ghost’ writer. Firstly he established his credentials, mentioning names like Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Romanov, erstwhile owner of Hearts F.C., Alex Ferguson, Willie Miller and Andy Murray (whom he described as a man of the people and arguably the greatest Scottish sportsman ever). Rob’s style was to illustrate his concerns by asking questions. Why are professionals allowed in the amateur game? Why do the clubs allow this? Who are the SRU accountable to? (The clubs, that’s who!) Why are professionals allowed to play for Scotland after only 3 years residency? Where is Scott Johnson? What’s going to happen to Scottish rugby if BT pulls its sponsorship, a very possible scenario in his view? All this delivered with the type of animation that is born out of passion. It was refreshing to hear such strong opinions, especially from someone whose views might be influential. He didn’t have it all his own way, however. One gritty questioner, among many, laid some of the blame on the press for not covering rugby more. Rob’s response that an independent press finds it very difficult to report openly on rugby as the SRU has such a stranglehold on all aspects of the game was a rather frightening revelation to hear. One of the signs that a speaker has been truly appreciated is if the Chairman has to cut off the flow of questions from the floor. Another is the gifting of a bottle of rare GROGS whisky. Both of these duly happened.